Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

Well, you're not putting it in any danger. Those mods aren't going to increase airflow any more than your computer can handle (I think it can thow up to 20% more fuel at it, but not more). And if you can drive the car OK with the lighter flywheel, then you're fine (some very light flywheels require an adjustment in idle speed). If you do headers though, then you'll need a tune.

Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

While I agree with Hamster's post, I would also say that a good tune would likely gain some horsepower and increased fuel economy. Whether those improvements would justify the expense for you is pretty much a personal choice but the horsepower per dollar ratio is not bad compared to other mods. Finally, many good tuners will modify your tune for almost nothing to incorporate future mods once you have purchased a baseline tune from them.

Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

Originally Posted by darkman

While I agree with Hamster's post, I would also say that a good tune would likely gain some horsepower and increased fuel economy. Whether those improvements would justify the expense for you is pretty much a personal choice but the horsepower per dollar ratio is not bad compared to other mods. Finally, many good tuners will modify your tune for almost nothing to incorporate future mods once you have purchased a baseline tune from them.

Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

Originally Posted by H-town_V

What kinda HP gains do you think I could get from a tune. Is 20+ HP too much to expect?

Based on my experience I think 20 is a realistic expectation together with 2 mpg during highway driving. Since a few more ponies often encourages spirited driving the added mpg may not show up right away.

Well, you're not putting it in any danger. Those mods aren't going to increase airflow any more than your computer can handle (I think it can thow up to 20% more fuel at it, but not more). And if you can drive the car OK with the lighter flywheel, then you're fine (some very light flywheels require an adjustment in idle speed). If you do headers though, then you'll need a tune.

Sometimes when I come to a sudden stop while in neutral the rpms will drop down to like 400 the car kinda hiccups then goes back to a normal ideal. Could an adjustment to idle speed fix that?

Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

Sometimes when I come to a sudden stop while in neutral the rpms will drop down to like 400 the car kinda hiccups then goes back to a normal ideal. Could an adjustment to idle speed fix that?

Yes. Although I am not a tuner, and not qualified to explain the details, my tuner discovered that under the circumstances you describe the stock tune momentarily pulls all the timing advance. In my case, that feature did not cause the engine to stall until my last set of modifications (heads, FAST 102 Intake added to light flywheel & cam setup).

Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

I had very similar mods to yours minus the clutch and flywheel mod, and I had mine tuned and did notice a nicegain across the board with performance and fuel mileage. I think it is more about making everything work together with better and tight tolerences. It would not be a waste of your time to do it and like Darkman said the good tuners will charge less fees for future mods if they already have your files and tunes and just have to make minor changes.

Thanks for all the advice and info, I figured it wouldn't be a compleat waste of money. I do plan todo further mods in the future I just can't say when I'll have the funds/time/help...etc. so it's good to know a retune is much cheaper.

Re: Does my V need to be tuned?

You don't need one, you're not hurting anything.

The factory leaves these motors on the rich side and therefore there is a few ponies left on the table without any mods. That said, what you will partially gain from a tune with your mods is from what GM left there. Your mods will help with area under the curve. You'll probably see about +15-20whp and +1-2 mpg. Cost is in the $300-500 and tuners generally discount future tunes. I waited until I got headers to tune it.